FAQs

 NAIF is a Commonwealth Government entity established to facilitate economic and population growth in northern Australia through financing infrastructure projects and businesses and helping to catalyse private sector investment. 

NAIF’s record to date includes partnering with projects in a broad range of industry sectors in the northern Australia economy, including  resources, energy, transport, agriculture and aquaculture, education, healthcare, tourism and social infrastructure. 

At our core, NAIF’s role is to be an impact investor in northern Australia. We do this by: 

• facilitating the growth of northern Australia; 
• accelerating projects; 
• delivering public benefit; 
• catalysing and crowding in private sector investment; and 
• ensuring strong indigenous opportunities and outcomes. 

Find out more about us. 

We can fund projects in parts of Queensland and Western Australia above the Tropic of Capricorn, as well as the whole of the Northern Territory.  Our geography has also been expanded to the Australian Indian Ocean Territories. 

Projects outside these boundaries may be eligible if they produce significant benefits to northern Australia. 

Learn more about us, including a map.

We can finance projects and businesses – large, medium and small – across a range of sectors not limited to mining and resources, agriculture and aquaculture, transport (including airports, ports, rail and logistics), energy, water, education, tourism, social infrastructure, healthcare, telecommunications and manufacturing. 

You can read about our projects.

If you wish your project to be considered for investment by NAIF, there are criteria to be met and other information to be considered before a project can qualify for support.  

Your project must: 

• Involve the development or material enhancement of infrastructure; 

• Be of public benefit; 
• Be located in, or have significant benefit for, Northern Australia; 
• Demonstrate an ability to repay the (or, for equity, provide a return on investment); and 
• Have an Indigenous engagement Strategy. 

More information about the mandatory criteria can be found here. 

NAIF was provided with an initial $5 billion of capital by the Commonwealth Government.  This was increased to $7 billion in June 2023.  Across northern Australia at May 2023 NAIF had made financing commitments of $4 billion. These projects are forecast to generate $29 billion in economic impact and support more than 15,000 jobs (during construction and operations). 

We work with project proponents to offer a range of flexible financing products on commercial terms. 

Provided that your project is eligible for NAIF support, NAIF can provide: 

• Bespoke and flexible loan facilities. 
• Loans for smaller-scale projects including through financing partnerships. 
• Equity finance, subject to a cap of $50m per investment and a minimum investment size of $5m; NAIF can invest in non-controlling equity stakes. 

• Financing directly to proponents rather than via the States or Territory under certain circumstances. 

With NAIF’s focus on northern Australia, we consider the unique circumstances of the region; climate, distance from major markets and sparse populations being common themes. Our commercially focused investment team works closely with proponents to structure loan deals in the most appropriate way. 

As a Government entity, NAIF ensures the careful stewardship of public funds. Central to this is ensuring that proponents demonstrate an ability to repay loans or provide a return on equity investments. 

Please note that NAIF cannot provide funding for feasibility studies. 

Each project is considered on a case-by-case basis. 

However, due to the level of due diligence work required by NAIF including additional work required in relation to assessing public benefit, documentation, and the development of an Indigenous engagement strategy, NAIF primarily focuses on providing loans of $15 million and above. 

This is to ensure the costs involved in the assessment and approval process are not outweighed by the benefits potentially being provided by a NAIF loan.

We are seeking to establish a range of partnerships across northern Australia with regional financiers who will provide NAIF funding directly to smaller projects. 

The first of these partnerships is with the Northern Territory Government’s Territory Infrastructure Loans,  targeting providing smaller loans in the Northern Territory. 

NAIF does not provide grants or fund business cases. NAIF’s financing is in the form of commercial loans or equity. 

Under the 2021 reforms to NAIF, we are now able to contribute equity finance to projects. This is subject to a cap of $50m per investment and being non-controlling stakes. NAIF’s total equity commitments are capped at $500m. 

NAIF will primarily focus on the provision of gap equity to assist projects with fundraising in progression. NAIF will not provide development or early-stage equity. 

We are seeking to establish a range of partnerships across northern Australia with regional financiers who will provide NAIF funding directly to smaller projects. 

Small-scale proponents would benefit from more localised decision making on loan approvals and potentially simplified public benefit and Indigenous engagement requirements. 

The first of these partnerships is with the Northern Territory Government’s Territory Infrastructure Loans, targeting providing smaller loans in the Northern Territory. 

As partnerships are formed, additional information and links to the financing partner programs will be provided on the NAIF website. 

If you can show you meet NAIF’s mandatory criteria, you are welcome to contact us (via email at naif@naif.gov.aucreate new email) to express an interest in working with NAIF. 

Prior to contacting NAIF, please review the information here. 

If you believe your project meets the eligibility criteria in the first instance, please email details of your project to the NAIF team.  A member of the NAIF team will be in touch with you as soon as possible. 

The NAIF Board is responsible for making Investment Decisions. 

NAIF applies commercial rigour to all Investment Decisions, which are made independently of government. 

Following a successful NAIF Board Investment Decision, the relevant State or Territory may need to approve NAIF’s support and NAIF’s Commonwealth Minister must confirm their support (non-veto) before a Project can receive NAIF funding. The relevant State and Territory may also be required to approve NAIF’s offer of financing to the project. 

NAIF will review and assess information as soon as it is available from the proponent. 

In general terms, the NAIF assessment process is broadly aligned with that which a proponent would work through with a commercial bank or other private sector financer. 

No. The NAIF Board is responsible for making Investment Decisions after the due diligence processes have been completed. 

Following a successful Investment Decision by the NAIF Board, NAIF’s Commonwealth Minister must confirm their support (non-veto) a number of other conditions to funding will need to be satisfied before a Project can receive NAIF funding. The relevant State and Territory may also be required to approve NAIF’s offer of financing to the project. 

Following an Investment Decision, NAIF’s Commonwealth Minister confirm their support (non-veto) before a Project can receive NAIF funding. 

The relevant State and Territory may also be required to approve NAIF’s offer of financing to the project. 

Following this, documentation of the funding can commence. As with any finance, any conditions of the loan must be met before funds are made available. 

In addition to satisfying the NAIF mandatory criteria and other legislative requirements, before we can provide NAIF funding for a project, all projects must be in compliance with all relevant Commonwealth, State and Territory laws.   Projects must also comply with the Commonwealth’s Australian Industry Participation Plan Policy (this requirement applies to NAIF loans of $20m or more) and with the Commonwealth’s Work Health and Safety Accreditation Scheme where applicable.

NAIF works with project proponents as partners throughout the assessment and approval process.  NAIF will discuss with you how we will publicise your project post Investment Decision. Our general approach will be to work with you on publishing a case study of your project and a related news story on the NAIF website.

Please note that within 15 business days of the NAIF Board making an Investment Decision, we are obliged by our Investment Mandate to publish information about the Investment Decision on our website, subject to commercial confidentiality.